I was reading an article today on the number of used needles dropped on the streets by drug addicts in Edinburgh – it’s 800, every day. I can’t find these statistics for American cities but you can be sure they’re comparable. Edinburgh has a population of less than 1/2 million. In the U.S. we have 34 cities that size, and many much larger. And people who use needles represent only a fraction of the people needing addiction help.
Comparable U.S. statistics, taking into account the populations of cities of 500,000 or above, would add up to roughly 32,000 needles dropped on the street every day – about 11 million a year. That’s 11 million needles that could well be picked up and used by other addicts, 11 million outlets for HIV, AIDS or hepatitis.
When you consider that’s only a fraction of the damage caused by alcohol and drug addiction in the U.S., you start to get a feel for the magnitude of the problem.
You also start to get a feel for the lifestyle your kids, spouse, other family members and friends are being exposed to when they drink and take drugs if they don’t get addiction help services early in the game.
Ironically, the newspaper that reported this story offers a free glass of wine to everyone who reads the newspaper. Check out the banner ad above the story. How inappropriate can you get?
